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What is Upma?
Upma is a popular hot-cereal breakfast cooked over stove-top in South India
Wheat Rava Upma was a popular breakfast dish among British during Raj.
The cereal is made with Grains, Vegetables, Nuts, and spices
Grains
Wheat Rava (Coarse cream of wheat), Broken Wheat (Bulgar)
Rice, Rice Rava (Coarse cream of rice), Beaten Rice
Couscous
Oats
Sevian (Whole-grain angel-hair or Vermicelli)
Slicing bread
The most popular grain is Wheat Rava. I have used 'yellow corn meal' with great success. I have made Upma with Croutons as a stuffing for Thanksgiving Crouton Stuffing Upma Style Recipe
Vegetables
Upma is basically a vegetable dish surrounded by Grains. You can add chopped carrots, green beans, cauliflower, cabbage, peas, potatoes.
Peas are most common.
Some Hindus may omit onions during religious holidays. In Mysore, they may add tomatoes when in season.
Just choose fresh vegetable in the season that you like.
Spices
Depending on the region and taste, the dish may use following spices for one cup of raw grains. For example in Kerala, they may not use Turmeric.
Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
Asafetida: ¼ teaspoon
Curry leaves: 4
Urad Dal (skinless split black beans): ½ teaspoon
Chana Dal (Split Desi Chana): ½ teaspoon
Turmeric powder: ½ teaspoon
Mustard seeds is a signature spice of this dish. The other spices are optional
Nuts
Split Cashews, split skin-less peanuts are added optionally. Most common nuts are Cashews. The nuts may be fried in Ghee to get nutty aroma.
Cooking Process
Step 1: Dry roast grains
In the olden days, most of the grains such as broken-wheat were fried in Ghee. Nowadays, the cereal grain is dry-roasted in a hot frying-pan without any ghee or oil
Step 2: Fry curry temper spices and Nuts
We will assume one cup of dried cereal grain
Peanut oil: 1 Tablespoon
Sesame oil: ¼ teaspoon
Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
Asafetida: ¼ teaspoon
Curry leaves: 4
Urad Dal (skinless split black beans): ¼ teaspoon
Chana Dal (Split Desi Chana): ½ teaspoon
Turmeric powder: ½ teaspoon
Cashews: ¼ Cup
Heat oils in a heavy bottom pan. Add mustard seeds. Fry on medium heat till mustard seeds start to sputter. Add remaining spices. Fry till Dal and Nuts start to turn brown.
Nowadays, most of the spices are not used except the mustard seeds. Canola oil has replaced Peanut and sesame oil.
Cashews may be substituted with peanut or the nuts are just forgotten
Step 3: Fry curry Masala Vegetables
Curry Masala Vegetables include Chopped onion, chopped hot green peppers (Hari Mirch, Serrano), Chopped fresh ginger.
Add Masala Vegetables and salt to fried temper spices. Fry till the edges of onions start to turn brown
Step 4: Sauté Vegetables
Add Vegetables to Masala and sauté as needed till vegetables are partially cooked
Step 5: Add Water and boil
Add water that would be needed to fully moistening the grains. Amount of water depends on the type of grain
Bring it to a boil. Cook till vegetables are almost cooked
Step 6: Add roasted cereal grains
Add roasted cereal grain. Cook on medium heat as required till all the moisture is absorbed by the cereal. Garnish as needed
Recipes